Extraordinarily Lost
by Rocjaw Cypher
Summary: Shortly after the events of Ocarina of Time, Link went searching for his lost fairy friend and was sent tumbling head over heels into another realm at the whims of a god. That still happened. This time, however, it was a different god that took an interest.
1. Chapter 1: Lost Woods

**Chapter 1: Lost Woods**

He was Lost. Not surprising, really. When you venture into a place called the lost woods, you can't complain about not being warned. "Still," Link thought, stumbling over an upraised root in the twilight's growing gloom. "I'd never have guessed it was _this _bad." He'd been in here before, after all, though never quite this deep. Sure, the place was a maze, but if he wandered long enough, he'd always ended up back at the entrance.

The green clad boy had once spent days making a map of the way to the forest temple to see if he could stop himself from wasting hours wandering in circles. Following the sound of Saria's Song between the trees, the cheerful ocarina tune had led him deeper into the shadowed groves, the playful melody his constant companion as he sketched out his route in the cool of the forest. After almost a week of work and more than 30 visits, he had finally completed his map of the twisting corridors- only to find that in the time it had taken him to show off his work to Saria, the endless forest had changed beyond any hope of recognition.

All the same, he had expected to be able to navigate his way through the forest. It had never seemed to change when he was in it, and if he paid attention he ought to have been able to find his way around those mischievous groves that landed him back in the Kokiri Village. If you kept your wits about you, you'd notice there was a distinctive feel to them, as if someone was watching to see if you fell for a prank. So, pack in hand and feeling reasonably sure of himself, he had grabbed all the supplies he could carry and pushed deep, deep into the forest, weaving his way through the woods.

Link had set out to visit each of the places he'd been before- the temples, the fairy fountains, the groves where the skull kids played- hawk eyed and watchful as he roamed. He'd tried asking the skull kids for help in his quest as well, for that matter. Devious pranksters that they were, they'd been of no help in his search but he'd had to try- the rest of the flora and fauna was all but useless unless he was looking to practice his sword work.

Link shook himself, pausing to listen for the babbling of a brook he had seen in a few days ago, in hopes that he might be able to replenish his supply of life-giving Springwater. He'd been willing to stay out here for weeks if he needed too, saying his goodbyes to Epona- his trusty steed- and leaving her with Malon. Pounds of rations, supplemented by his hunting. Three days' worth of water skins, to ensure he'd have a backup if the springs ran dry. A tent and pack, loaded with equipment for all manner of weather. Nothing would stand between him and finding Navi. His fairy- his friend.

Link's expression grew dark as he thought of his journeys begin. Oh, how he had regretted that decision. Over the past eight days, he had pushed his way through the woods, narrowly avoiding a return trip to Kokiri village so many times he had lost count. However, as the seventh day ended, something had changed. When he rose the next morning, the ever-present song had fallen silent. The woods, dark and still, had lost the playful mischievousness that had been there ever since his first journey. Now, the groves that had once seemed to watch with baited breath, seemed to stare coldly instead, a decided itch of unwelcomeness that grew stronger the closer he came. Suddenly, he'd begun to remember stories he had heard so long ago.

"Adults lost among the trees turn into Stalfos, while children turn into Skull Kids; both are doomed to wander the woods till the end of days" had warned the elder in castle town. "Anybody who comes into the forest will be lost. Everybody will become a Stalfos. Everybody, Stalfos." Only the fact that he had a fairy to guide him had kept him safe before… and Navi was gone. Without her, he had no way of knowing where he was, or where to go, and it was quite possible that he would never leave.

His labored breaths sounded harshly in his ears and he paused for a moment, leaning against the rough brown bark of one of the great forest monarchs that blocked out the fading light. They had been together since the day his life began. Not the day he was born- he still didn't know when that was, as everyone who could tell him had long since passed away. No, the day his life truly began had been the day Navi came to him with a message from the Great Deku Tree. Since then, they had never been apart. She had guided him through the fiery caverns of Death Mountain, and across the open plains of Hyrule Field as they searched for a means to stop the evil that crept across the land. They had faced down dragons and serpents and undying horrors together, and yet… and yet she was gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Three days after he had returned to this time, the evil defeated, the monster vanquished, she had fled into the night as he slept, vanishing into the lost woods.

He looked down at his hands, the young pale skin marred by countless faint scars, stark against the dark forest soil that covered them. They had wielded sword and shield against innumerable foes, fighting off creatures a hundred times his size, and people had cheered for him as he fought. Words of encouragement, praise, and thanks flew thick as the crowds watched his battle. But that was just it… the speeches came from the sidelines, and the cheers were distant in his ears as he struggled to survive. There was no one who had the strength to stand beside him in battle, to face the end of the world with him- save for one. Navi. He didn't resent the others for being unable to fight, didn't snarl at their eager cheers. No, he was glad to help. But all the praise in the world paled in comparison with a smile from the one who had been beside him, darting in and out of the fray, guiding his shots and spotting the weakness of his foe.

"Why?" he gritted out, his hands clenching into white knuckled fists. "After all that! After all we went through! Nayru Faeroe and Din, Navi! Why!" The child spun suddenly, driving a fist into the thick rugged bark of the tree beside him. The young boy stared blankly at the blood spattered wood, uncaring of the torn skin and thick splinters embedded in his hand, as it throbbed in time with the red that suffused his vision. Fury took him suddenly, and with an anguished cry, he wrenched the Kokiri sword from the sheath on his back, swinging furiously, hacking at the tree with it. Chips of wood were flung through the air as his voice cracked in rage, unintelligible curses flying from his lips as he wreaked havoc upon the only target for his frustration.

Finally, his blows slowed and stopped. His arms leaden and burning, his breath ragged, he let the sword point drop, digging into the earth at his feet. His eyes unfocused as he lowered his them for a moment, before turning away from the scarred wood and stumbling further into the woods. With his blade carving a path through the earth behind him, silence filled the forest once more, save for the faint 'tik' sounds the metal made as it skipped across the loose soil. Within moments, he had pushed his way through the dense bushes and out of sight of the clearing. As his footsteps faded into the distance, the seeping scar on the bark began to ripple and fade, the earth seeming to shiver underfoot, as every trace that he had left behind melted away until the forest was once again pristine and silent as he found it.

* * *

><p>It had been 37 days since Link set out on the journey. He knew there was a chance he might not come back when he set out, but knowing and <em>knowing<em> are two entirely different things. Navi had last been seen heading into the forest though, and if that was the risk he had to take to find her- well, he was hardly one to shirk from danger. Now, though, he had reached his limit.

The 6th day after his food ran out and all signs of living creatures vanished into the underbrush, he had begun to see things. Fairy lights and Poes danced just at the edge of his vision, but when he turned to look they were gone. He hadn't worried much about that though, in a place like the lost woods that was standard fare.

By the 9th day without food, Link had started to make out faint whispers in the shadows. They had seemed loud in the silence of the forest, the stillness so quiet that even his footsteps seemed muted, but when he stopped to listen, the voices were gone. Bushes would rustle behind him, but he could never tell where the sound came from and was forced to press on. He had even once thought he'd heard... for a moment... that faint cry he knew so well: "Hey! Look out!" He began to suspect something was mocking him after that. Still though, he had ignored them and traveled deeper into the forest's grasp. With no idea of how to find his way out, the only thing he could do was keep looking.

On the 12th day, however, he began to lose faith in his own sanity. He was exhausted by then, the starvation setting in, and had more than once been so caught up in a daydream that he hadn't noticed he had stopped walking until his head hit the ground, the sharp pain in his skull and the feeling of the cool earthy loam against his cheek snapping him back to the present. He would lie there for a moment, taking in the scent of crushed leaves as he gathered his strength, until he could force himself to rise and move on.

The trees seemed to warp and twist at the corners of his eyes, rising up like great mushrooms, or twisting together into arching roots. First dark and lifeless, the air murky and hazed with the scent of decay, the ground would turn swampish, feeling as though his feet sank deep into the mush, each step a struggle. Then, golden and glowing, they would burst into light as the earth sprung to life with verdant greenery. He could almost taste the sweet pollen that filled the air, and golden motes floated across his vision, but it took nothing more than a blink, and it was gone.

On the 13th day, he gave up.

He had put up with the lights and whispers so long he no longer noticed them. He had been able to ignore the twisted trees as he knew that there were things far stranger in the land of Hyrule. But this? This was enough. He was not going to put up with Nayru damned _butterflies_.

"No." He ground out, sweat trickling down his brow as the swirling cloud of iridescent blue wings enveloped him. "No, I have had it up to here! I am _not _going to stand for this! Come out! Come out and face me whoever you are!" He snatched at his sword and shield with hands that trembled with frustration and exhaustion, leaping towards the whispering cloud that had encircled him. Link charged in as it spun faster and faster, swinging wildly at the fluttering insects. With a hoarse yell and hurled himself through the cloud and into… a room?

Link skidded to a halt on the smooth stone bricks, panting furiously, his eyes darting back and forth as he took in the intricately carved ivory chairs, the smooth marble desk, and the dark stone walls that surrounded him. Twisting to look behind him at the entrance that was no longer there, he shivered as a gust of cold air hit him, bringing with it the scent of caves and darkness. The elfin child staggered, spent, as the exertion of his mad flailing caught up with him and he dropped to a knee before yanking the nearest seat towards him. Lifting himself into it, he slumped there until his breathing slowed enough that he could take in more of his surroundings.

At a glance, the only items he could see were within arm's reach. The single burning candle that stood atop a wrought iron holder. The embossed, leather bound book in red and gold that lay closed and silent upon the desk. And of course, the precise iron metronome beside it, delicately worked with the image of a face caught in a silent scream, ticked patiently away as it marked out the passage of time.

"So! What. Have. We. HERE?" boomed a voice, echoing through the room. With a startled shout, Link spun to see… still nothing. Blank stone walls, bricks and mortar, but certainly nothing that could be talking to him.

"Just a delicate little sprog AHREN'T CHA MEH BOY? Ohh hohohohh! you should see your face!" cackled the disembodied voice with an excited air, "Maybe I'll peel it off and show it to yeh? Not a bad idea, eh? Oh! Oh oh oh! Better Idea! use the eyes! Now THAT'S lateral thinken!"

His back against the cold stone wall, link began to gently reach for the hilt of his sword, his eyes darting back and forth. 'Invisible?' he thought to himself. 'I don't see- of course!' Snatching at his pack, he dug through it before triumphantly yanking out a violet and blood-red lens. 'The Eye of truth!'

His sword in one hand, the lens in the other, he turned back to face the room, casting a gaze about to see if he could spot the speaker through the all-seeing magical device. With a yelp, he jerked away at the sudden flash, the lens clattering to the floor as he ground at his eye, trying to blink away the shifting colorful blaze of light that had blinded it.

"NONE OF THAT my boy! Wear the accessories on your own time! But don't wait too long. Those things start to smell if you don't use them right away. No! Wait- thinking of cheese."

Blinking tears of pain away, Link gazed around the room bewilderedly. Whoever this speaker was, he was pretty sure that this was not someone he wanted to be trapped in a room with. Still, not dead yet, so… probably just insane. Maybe he was unconscious and his body was wasting away in the forest. Seemed to be his luck these days.

"So where did you come from, Hmmmm? Ah! that little neck of the woods! The Lost ones! The lost woods, get it? Whelllll me boy, you are Well and TRUEly LOST!" breaking out terrifying laughter once again, the voice sputtered and continued "Now though, boyo, you've been found! By Who you ask? ME! I DID! or did I? Perhaps you knew where you were the whole time? Very well then, Close your eyes and I'll spin you about and twist you into macramé! Or until you're lost. Whichever works."

"Fayroe guide me out of here," Link muttered, "Din, light my path. Nayru, protec-"

"Ah ha ah! m'BOY! Can't be havin you prayin to those heeeeeathen goddeses of yours!" the voice roared, "Besides! those ladies won't be hearing your prayers. I will though! If you're lucky I might even answer them!" It seemed to pause in thought for a moment, as Link shrunk back against the rough stone of the room's corner, shield and sword in hand. "Oh! I know! Ask for pie! Or brains. You could use those! I've GOT IT! BRAIN PIE! Thats the thing!"

"Anyway," it continued. "The deal is that your little forest falls under my jurisdiction! That means that when you go stumblin' through it, and just. wont. GIVE. UP… well. that means I'm going to have to do something about it. Couldn't have you crying wah wah my poor fairy and upsetting my skull kids! No! So I brought you here! Now you can do some good with yourself. AND ENTERTAIN ME!"

A sudden shout and a grunt of irritation from the booming voice echoed through the room as Link, beginning to relax from his initial scare slumped to the floor. 'Whatever this is, they don't seem to want me dead,' he thought. 'And if they change their mind, I can't really do anything about it- not as weak as I am now.'

"AHA! GOTCHA YOU LITTLE PEST! Silent now, grownups are talking. As I Was Saying Boyo! You're in my realm now. So! Welcome! Stay awhile, stay forever! Welcome to the Shivering Isles."

Link gazed nervously around the stone room he had found himself as the voice paused dramatically in its rambling speech. Slouched against the wall, he waited for the voice to get whatever it was planning over with so that he could move on with his life. Or death. Probably the second one now that he thought about it. After all, he could only live on willpower alone for so long, and he was _done._ Down to the last of his strength, unable to even haul himself back into the chair that he had knocked over in fright, his chances of getting out were bad enough that there wasn't even a point in worrying about it.

"No? You don't recognize the name? That's alright, I'm about to tell you! THE SHIVERING ISLES! Home of madness! Chaos! And ME! That's right Ladies and Gentlemen! It's SHEOGORATH! God of order! No- wait. That's Jyggalag. Ah! Still counts though! He's me and I'm Him! When I'm not me that is. Did I ever tell you about the time I decided to invade myself? I had to find a way to stop it, So I set out to find myself! I asked myself to go off and do these most peculiar quests, and then I got me to stop me from WRECKING MY ISLES! After all, nobody likes that... Where was I? Ah Yes! SHEOGORATH! GOD OF MADNESS! That's me!"

"..." The voice paused again. "Well? Say something boyo! I've not wasted all this time on a dramatic reveal just for you to ignore it! What do you think?"

Link threw a wasted look of disgust at the empty air. "There are only three goddesses. I have no idea who you might be, but I'm sure as hell not going to be worshiping you." Half laughing at the thing's ridiculous claim, the Hylian mustered up the strength to pull himself into a kneeling position.

"EEEEHHHHNNNNT! WRONG ANSWER! That may be true where you are from boy, but you'll find that we Daedra are very much real here M'lad. You are far far away from anyone who would agree with you!" Shaking his head in disgust, Link rose to his feet. Legs burning with exhaustion, knees trembling, and sword and shield clenched in tight fists, he gazed around the room.

"Look, shegore- whatever your name is- Why am I here?" Link asked. It wasn't much of a question- after everything he'd dealt with, he had had enough of the rambling and the hearsay and slightly creepy not-a-threats that Sheogorath had been spouting since the moment he'd dragged him to this wretched place. "What. Do. You. Want." He demanded, the deep ache of starvation throbbing in his stomach as, numerous cuts and bruises made themselves known. Helpless to find the target of his anger, his glare whipped around the chill stone room once more.

"What do I want? I already told you! To be ENTERTAINED! I am Booooooaaaarrrrddddd! And you? You're interesting. I could have let you waste into a SkullKid, but what a waste! Another hero! Goddess blessed and courageous and JUST the THING! I said to myself, 'Sheogorath me old pal, this is the chance of a lifetime! Take two heroes and throw them together and-' OY QUIT STRUGGLING You! Where was I? Ah yes. Two heroes! One quest! It'll be fun! But of course, we can't have you looking like that!"

Glancing down at himself, Link saw just how badly the forest had treated him. His green tunic and belt, ragged from the grasping branches, were stark in the flickering candlelight. His skin was filthy and bloody, and his arms frail from malnutrition. All in all he was the picture of a street urchin. If he'd been seen in Hyrule market, people would have either thrown him rupees or clutched their wallets to their chests to keep them safe.

"Not that you fool!" Sheogorath bellowed, interrupting his thoughts. "Your AGE! You're not even old enough to drink mead! There's no way the Dragonborn will put up with that! No! You need to _Grow Up_!"

A glowing light began to surround Link, and as his skin began to prickle, he closed his eyes with a sigh. He already knew what was going to happen after all. It wasn't like he hadn't been here before- he was the hero of time after all. He had spent months in that desolate future, fully grown and facing horrors unimaginable to a simple boy from the forest. 'Still,' He thought sourly. "I'd thought I was finally done with this."

With a flash, he dropped to the floor, once more an adult, and once more at his full strength. This time though… he was dressed a little different. A tunic of green and leggings of brown, yes, but under the tunic clinked a layer of chain mail, shifting as he moved. His golden gauntlets were longer, reaching up to protect his forearms from wayward blows and his chest was covered in an elegant golden breastplate that was worked with Hylian designs. His shoulders were covered with thick pauldrons, and metal plates led into steel toed boots that stood firm on the rugged stone floor. Not full armor, but strategically placed patches of it, designed to protect the vital areas while preserving dexterity.

"Wha-" he mumbled, confused, before the voice continued. "You'll need it boy! That icy land is far more dangerous than your little hamlet you call a nation! And you'll need this to!" A familiar weight settled upon his shoulders, and he twisted to look behind him at his blade, the Master Sword.

"I snuck in while those pesky divas weren't looking, and swapped this out for a pile of cheese! Nobody will be able to tell the difference unless they try to draw it! Or eat it! Or until it starts to smell!" Now used to the madgod's rambling, Link ignored him, checking himself over and finding all the items he had carried in that aborted timeline had been returned to him.

"Oh! and don't think I've forgotten about you, little one! You'll need one last thing if you are to survive this realm m'Boy! A _guide_." Link's head snapped up at his final word. Heart in his throat, he tried to stifle the sudden surge of hope that burst through him. He had given up on finding her. He had given up on surviving. Could... could this madman really have her? Could it be?

A sudden crackle of energy appeared above the desk, pale blue lightning arcing into the iron candle holder and metronome. A shape started to form in the center of it, just a touch darker than the brilliant blue around it, before finally, the sphere of light burst, throwing book, candle, and time keeper skittering across the stone floor. Link dashed forward as the tiny form slumped to the desk, sweeping her into his arms and cradling the fairy as he gazed in awe of the miracle in front of him. A slender girl, no longer than a finger lay glowing in his arms. Garbed in a gauzy blue dress, with wings protruding from its back, Navi looked up at him. "L-Link?" she asked tremulously, a delicate hand reaching for his face, before collapsing again, exhausted by whatever had just occured.

"So boyo! You're allllll set!" Sheogorath drawled, interrupting their heartwarming moment, "I've given you your things, your fairy, and your years, so now it's time you do something for me! ENTERTAIN ME!" the crazed god roared once more. "So. Be off with yeh! I've got things to do, people to disembowel, mountains to move and movements to mount! So you be good! You have fun now! And if you see her, tell Nocturnal I said hi!"

For the final time, the energy gathered around link, and as the room dissolved in a flurry of brilliant blue butterflies, Link found himself smiling. Whatever this nutcase had planned, it didn't matter. He had his fairy friend returned to him once more. He was ready.

**Author's Note!**

Not bad for a first try, eh? Just a plot bunny I had that wouldn't go away, so I sat down and hammered it out. Blame LethalityRush's Goodbye Navi work on deviant art, and the comparison of Skyrim and Windwaker by Slpngfx. Figure I'll keep adding as the mood strikes me, and see where the story takes us. No, Link won't be dragonborn in case you missed that. He will be there for the start of the story, however. Hope y'all enjoy! Either way, leave a review with anything you'd like me to work on, or directions you'd like to see the plot go.

See you around!

**Edit:** Cleaned this up a little bit, to make it less unwieldly. Hopefully it should be easier on the eyes now. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2: Dinner and a Show

**Chapter 2: Dinner and a Show**

With a sudden flash, Link arrived in the new world. Ten feet off the ground. With a yelp of surprise he dropped those last few feet, tucking into a roll to absorb the impact. Cradling Navi, however, threw him off enough that his practiced roll turned into a sort of half controlled tumble through the dirt, kicking up a spray of loose soil and snow as he skidded to a stop. Groaning quietly, the Hylian stared up at the pale grey sky overhead, the sea of clouds drifting aimlessly as he tried to collect his thoughts. 'Anything broken? No… Anything bleeding? No… Let's move on then.' With a huff, Link hauled himself to his feet, shaking snow off his tunic and glancing down at the still slumbering fairy in his arms to reassure himself that she was safe, before taking in his surroundings.

His first impression was shock. 'I've never seen this much snow outside of when Zora's Domain froze over!' Link thought to himself as he gaped at the snow covered clearing. Tall, spindly trees were densely scattered about it's edge, their branches laden with clumps of thick, wet snow. Scattered flakes drifted down into the sparse, grassy field, adding another layer to the rolling, knee height drifts. Unlike the domain, traversing this frozen forest would be grueling, with the clinging snow hindering his every step. The real surprise, however, came when he looked up.

'Oh that's just not right,' the Hylian thought. 'I know snow peak lies somewhere to the north, but that's just a small hill compared to this! Even Death Mountain doesn't come close!' As Link's gaze traveled up… and up… and up… it finally stopped as the _massive_ mountain before him vanished into the clouds with no sign of slowing down. 'I'm definitely not in Hyrule any more, that's for sure.' Grumbling quietly to himself, Link carefully slid Navi underneath his cap where she liked to sleep now and again. He hiked up his pack, settling it comfortably onto his shoulders and made his way through the snow covered branches of the bright red berry bushes around him, trudging towards the nearest of the pine trees at the clearing's edge.

Once there, Link paused for a moment, crouching down to ready himself before leaping at the lowest of the branches to hang there. Testing his weight on it with a few sharp jounces, he slowly levered himself up onto the limb, steadying himself with one hand against its sticky sap covered bark. From there, the branches were mostly close enough to climb hand over hand, making his way through the prickly foliage until he was high enough to peer out over the treetops and get a better glimpse of his surroundings. To the north, the mountain blocked out the sky, while to the east a narrow windswept pass slid through its shadow. To the south was more mountains and forest, but to the west...There! A small cobblestone path wound its way through the woods, and if he read it right, that was the wood smoke of a small village rising up at the end of that path. It looked to be at least a day's journey, however, so he'd have to spend the night at some point. The sky was already growing dark, as the sun began to sink behind another far off range, and he had no interest in trying to navigate this snow swept wilderness in the growing gloom.

Link began working his way back down, testing each branch as he went. The bitter wind that had started to blow made it all the more perilous, as the tree gently swayed in the sharp gusts, and the cold numbed his fingers. He was about 7 feet off the ground when he heard the growls. Circling the base of the tree were three mangy black wolves, each of them snarling up at him, apparently quite intent on getting a meal. Link, however, was not impressed. Bracing himself against the tree and a pair of branches, he pulled out his bow and notched an arrow to the string, taking careful aim at the first wolf, faint as it was in the dim twilight. Waiting until the wind calmed, he stretched the bowstring back and let the arrow fly.

Warned a moment before by the snap of the bowstring, the wolves split apart, darting away to the left and right to circle back around for a better angle. The center wolf, on the other hand, zigzagged a path towards him through the fading light, bounding his way closer. With a leap, it sprung upwards towards the hero's legs, paws scrabbling against the bark for a few more inches of lift. Link dropped the bow with a yelp, diving away from the branch he stood on to escape the hound's yellowed fangs. A flailing hand caught another limb, bringing him to a precarious halt just a few feet off the forest floor.

With a jolt, the Hylian saw the other wolves racing back towards him once more, as the third stumbled back to its feet, readying itself for another leap. With seconds to spare before the beasts fastened their teeth in his legs, he acted. Dropping to the icy drift below, one hand went for a pouch at his waist, the other sinking to the elbow in the frigid snow. Palming something as he stood, he faced the wolves head on as they leapt for his throat.

A thunderous crack roared through the clearing, a sudden flash of light throwing the lengthening shadows into stark relief as the Deku Nut Link had thrown shattered on the ground, releasing its magical energy in a blinding burst. The wolves, unprepared for this barrage on their senses, flinched at exactly the wrong moment, hurling themselves into the ground rather than onto their former prey.

Staggering to their feet, the wolves snarled and shook themselves, blinking away the spots that danced in their vision just in time to see the glint of silver steel flash high overhead, Link's blade singing as he roared a guttural cry, his voice muffled by the ringing that lingered in their sensitive ears.

The first, quicker to react than the others, scrambled away as Link's sword bit into the frozen earth, a hair to slow to take the head of his foe. The second, bigger, tougher, but above all _slower…_ was less lucky. It was still turning to face him as steel took it through the heart, the scarred wolf snarling weakly as blood stained its matted fur. The third, warned by the scent of its Alpha's blood, bolted as the Hylian turned to face it. A glance behind only confirmed its fear, and it rapidly vanished into the shadowy underbrush, the last of the pack close behind.

Link watched the beasts depart, before shaking his head and turning to the tree in which he had made his stand. Kneeling to retrieve his bow, Link brushed away the wet drift it had landed in and shook the weapon free of clinging flakes before tucking it away in his pack. With a grunt, Link rose to his feet, peering about in the dim light and approached the carcass. Fastening his hands in the lank, greasy fur, he wrenched the corpse upright, examining it with a careful gaze

'Hmmm…' Link thought, lifting an oddly shaped paw. 'This is no Wolfos.' He had seen something similar in the forest temple, but that beast liked to rear up and strike with its forepaws as much as it's fangs, and was far more bulky. This thing, on the other hand, was frail and wasted. Any attempt to stand on its back legs would probably result in it collapsing, and its claws were nowhere near the dagger-like sharpness or length of the Wolfos' claws.

Still, though… He doubted that this thing was harmless. It had a certain sleekness about it, and seemed far better adapted for speed than the creature from Hyrule. And if they worked in groups, the way this one had? They might be a bit of a problem… Still, nothing he could do about it now. The others were long gone, and the death of their Alpha would likely set him in their mind as the dominant predator, if the similarities to the Wolfos of his homeland were more than skin deep.

Straightening, he dusted the melting snow from his knees as it seeped through the fabric, cold against the skin underneath. With a glance at the golden light of the fading twilight sky, he decided against trying to make any progress tonight. There was no use in pushing towards the village if he was going to have to sleep in the snow anyway. 'For now,' the Hylian thought as he turned towards the center of the clearing, 'the best thing to do would be to make camp.'

With an ominous rumble and a sharp pang, his stomach informed him that while he might have his strength back, he had _still _not eaten anything for almost two weeks. Link turned back towards the mangy beast before him. 'Well…' he mused with a grimace. 'Maybe food first, then camp.'

After gathering some fallen branches preserved under a nearby snowdrift, Link cleared a circle of snow, trusting the winter weather to keep the fire from spreading. With a few moments work, the branches were arranged in the center, leaned against each other to form a small chimney to block the wind. In most cases, Link would have taken the time to search for tinder and kindling as well, but with the bitter wind howling mournfully through the trees around him and a ravening hunger tearing at his stomach, he decided not to waste the time searching through the pillowy snow for tiny twigs and leaves to light the fire with. Instead, he pulled out an old trick of his. Normally he'd use this to light torches in a dungeon or defrost at tricky bit of frozen machinery, saving his magic power for when he needed it most. "Still," he grumbled quietly to himself. "If this doesn't qualify as need, I don't know what does."

Retrieving the elegant golden shortbow once more, Link notched an arrow, aiming towards the fire pit as he drew back the string once more. This time, however, he paused. Moving his thumb upward slightly, he held it against a ruby set into the handhold until it began to glow faintly in the growing dimness. The light traveled down the shaft of the arrow until it reached the head, which burst into a brilliant red and gold blaze.

Link let the arrow fly; a streak of color piercing through the oncoming night and slamming into the center of his cone shaped construction of sticks. The fire came roaring to life in a flash, throwing the shadows of the trees into stark relief before settling down to a much more manageable height. Flickering gently before him, the flames danced merrily, waves of heat rolling off of them and soaking into the Hylian's numbed skin as prickles of feeling ran through his limbs once more. Link knelt with a groan, muscles pulled tight by the bitter cold finally relaxing as he basked in the warmth.

"Shame I can't do that more often," he thought lazily. "But I have no idea when I'll next run into a green chuchu, or where to find a potion shop here. I only have so much magic pow…" With a jolt of surprise, Link trailed off as an odd sensation washed over him. The empty feeling he had always associated with a lack of magical power was slowly fading away as gentle trickles of energy flowed into him, sinking into his skin like the warmth of the fire.

"What in Hyrule?" he muttered with a bewildered expression. Magic power could regenerate with a good night's sleep, or a green potion could top him off in the heat of the moment. This, though… this was something else. The flow was faster, stronger, as if he were drinking from a stream, rather than raising water from a well. This… this could be useful. Many of his spells and devices ran off of his limited supply of magic power, and in the heat of battle, any one of them could turn the tide.

Light Arrows, Din's Fire, the Lense of Truth- any or all of them could give him just the edge he needed to survive. Caught up in his thoughts, Link rose and began to pace, snow crunching under his boots. What could have caused it? Where was he, that the flow of magic was so much stronger? Why, he wondered as his stomach roared at him once more, was he thinking about this rather than eating?

Much as this new development disturbed him, such thoughts could wait. Right now it was time for food.

* * *

><p>Juices sizzled and splashed into the golden flames as he slid the shank off the spit, the smell of roasted meat sending a fresh wave of hunger pangs gnawing into his stomach. Waiting for this to be ready had been torture, but hungry as he was, he still didn't feel up to eating raw wolf just yet. Sinking his teeth into the chunk of flesh, he growled as he tore at it, the animal proving as stubborn in death as it was in life. Still, he contemplated as he chewed, hunger had proved once more to be the finest spice. The flavor of the meal was divine, even if the texture had something to be desired. Until he found a more palatable source of food, roast beast would do.<p>

Skinning and preparing the wolf had been a tricky proposition. Link had puzzled over the best way to free the edible morsels from the ragged lump of fur long enough that he had strongly considered taking his master sword and just hacking it loose. Nasty as the smell of burnt hair was, he had been about ready to unsheathe his blade when he remembered the child's weapon he had borne until just recently. The Kokori sword, while vastly undersized to his grown adult form, had proved just right as dagger for skinning the animal. He was no expert, but the weapon was razor sharp, and it didn't take long before he had several large pieces of flesh hewn from the body and one ragged piece of pelt. The pelt was of no use to him in the current state, but he might be able to get a bit of rupees out of it at the market when he reached it the next day.

"For now," he thought as he lay back against the straw stuffed bedroll, "Warm bed and hot food will have to hold me." When dawn came, he would worry about where he was, why he'd been brought here, and the safety of his fairy friend, but until then, he would simply satisfy himself with the spoils of his battle, and rest until the sun's first light.

* * *

><p>Dawn broke cold but clear over the remains of the fire as Link stirred gently where he lay. Groaning, he levered himself off the chill ground, wincing as the aches caught up to him. Sleeping on the ground was never fun, and doing so in the winter was even less. The fire was enough to keep him from freezing, but it did nothing for the way the icy ground sapped his body heat away. Link stretched, rising to a knee as he did so, and felt the knotted tenseness in his muscles burning as the blood began to flow through his limbs once more. Rubbing blearily at his eyes, he stared uncomprehendingly into the distance for a moment, before hauling his protesting body to its feet. He trudged across the light dusting of snow that had fallen in the night, stumbling his way towards the remains of the wood pile he had assembled.<p>

Before long, he had coaxed a small fire from the remains of the embers, flames slowly flickering up and over the broken branches as he stared dully into it. His mind, slow to catch up with the rest of his body, began to grind into gear. After all, though he may have been upright and moving he was by no means awake, and wouldn't be until the warmth of the fire had worked its magic. That, or the rush of shock that surged through him at the feel of a familiar shape stirring in his hair once more.

"Navi!" He yelped, whipping the hat from his head and scooping the tiny fairy into his palm. "You're here!"

"Link?" she mumbled, her sweet and melodic voice sounding rather sour and grumpy. "It's too early… Go back to bed." She turned, snuggling back into the crook of his hand.

Link, on the other hand, was having none of this. Tilting his hand forward, he dumped her into the small snowdrift before them. As she tumbled downward, she let out a yelp of surprise that was cut off as she disappeared into the sparkling drift.

A shriek echoed across the clearing, and Navi zipped into the air shaking her limbs to rid herself of the freezing clumps that clung to her bare skin. As the last flakes fell free, a faint sound began to issue from her tiny form. Link paused for a second, trying to make out what the noise was, before the rapidly rising volume of her growl of rage quickly made that unnecessary. Link had just enough time to remember how much of frozen Zora's Domain she had spent huddled under his hat, and how… _little…_ she had appreciated his attempts at humor involving snow, before the diminutive pixie hurled herself at him fists first

Once more, shrieks echoed across the clearing, as Link sprinted away from the glowing ball of rage, each as high pitched as the first. Navi zipped through the chilly air after the wailing Hylian, roaring threats and promises at his retreating form as he desperately tried to deflect her anger.

"LINK! You're gonna pay for that!" the apoplectic fairy howled, her hair streaming in the wind as she darted after him.

"Wait! Navi! This is all just a misunderstand- Yeouch!" He yelped, as tiny turquoise bolts of lightning connected with his backside. "No! Really, I can expla- YEARGH!" Another one singed the tip of his sensitive ear.

Twisting to look behind him, eyes focused on Navi as she closed the gap, Link had exactly zero seconds of warning as he plowed head first into one of the _very_ solid pines sprinkled around the clearing. Slamming into the rough brown bark with an audible thud and a delightfully piney fresh scent, the Hylian stumbled backwards and collapsed onto the cold, snowy ground as he clutched his aching head. Navi alighted on the bridge of his nose, peering down at him with a worried expression.

"Oh, Deku sticks- Link, are you alright?" she asked, concern clear on her face. "What were you thinking! Don't you watch where you're going? Be more careful you dolt," she scolded, "you could have been… you could… Link?" The events of the previous night hit the young fairy in a rush. All thoughts of sweet revenge, or worry over Link's clumsiness scattered as she laid a trembling hand on the young Hylian's cheek.

"Hey Navi, long time no see, "Link said with a grin. Smiling up at her from where he lay, his armor clinked as he shifted on the layer of pine needles beneath him. Sitting up slowly, he watched as the pixie's wings fluttered, sending her drifting back into the air to take him in. He brought up a hand for her to alight on, and raised an eyebrow at the young girl's shell shocked expression. "What? do I have something on my face?"

The silence stretched on, and just as Link began to wonder if she would flee, she spoke.

"I thought I'd killed you."


	3. Chapter 3: Questions and Answers

**Chapter 3: Questions and Answers**

The silence stretched on, in the grey morning light, the thin, pale sunshine making the soft drifts of snow shimmer with a faint silver sparkle. Man and fairy regarded each other from across the fire, the clearing silent save for the crackling flames and the faint croak of a raven sounding from the surrounding pines. Expressions troubled and brows furrowed, the pair perched fretfully, neither willing to be the first to speak.

Link knelt on his bedroll, gazing with worried eyes at his longtime companion, thoughts racing wildly inside his head, but unable to bring himself to ask his questions. Navi was curled up in the vee of a branch that he had pushed into the ground to serve as a seat, nervously clutching her knees to her chest as she shot fearful glances at him, flinching each time she met his gaze.

The air was still as the pair waited, mute, unwilling to shatter the tension that filled the clearing. Finally, Link stirred, rising to his feet. He looked at his childhood friend with a faint smile, and gestured towards the pines behind him.

"Come on, you can tell me on the road."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long to put out the fire and pack the bedroll, and before the sun had cleared the treetops, Link was once again making his way through the snowy forest. The chill of the morning had departed, and with it, the ever present clouds had begun to break up, bathing the forest in scattered rays of golden sunshine.<p>

As he strode through the underbrush, he glanced towards the fairy upon his shoulder, her taught expression plain to see. She hadn't spoken a word since her admission that morning, and much as he wanted answers, he wouldn't press until she was ready. 'After all,' he thought with a grin, 'She always loved to tell me about everything we came across- in detail. _Lots_ of detail, in fact. She'll open up eventually.'

In the meantime, the Hylian kept an eye out for any sign of danger, civilization, or inhabitants of the forest. The tranquil pines arching overhead gave a feeling of serenity to his walk through the woods, but if he had learned anything as a child in the Kokiri Forest, it was that serene did not mean safe. Skulltulas loved to hide high above the paths, waiting in ambush for an unwary traveler. Skull Kids had a nasty sense of humor, and the ability to appear from nowhere and vanish into thin air. 'And that was just the creatures in the forest,' he thought with a nasty glare at a nearby shrub.

'Nayru's love, if I never get attacked by another _vicious_...' he thought, swatting away a low hanging branch, '_territorial_...' crushing a small patch of flowers, '_bloodthirsty_ plant...' reducing a sapling to splinters to punctuate his thoughts, 'it will be too soon.'

Fortunately, the rest of the morning passed uneventfully, free from homicidal flora and malevolent imps. The chirping of a few snowbirds floated by on a light, playful breeze as it whispered between the laden branches, each limb dripping with sun melted snow. A fox scurried through the underbrush, darting after a fleeing rabbit as it vanished into the greenery, and a hawk circled lazily overhead. The day was peaceful, and the golden rays of sun were warm against the Hylian's back, taking the sting from the chilly air.

As the pair trekked through the wilderness, Link munching on a strip of meat he had smoked the night before, they began to see signs of life. Old, rusted arrows, embedded in trees or soil, the remnants of some hunter's search for prey. Soot scarred stones, arranged around a pile of white-grey ash, evidence of past camp fires. Even, he was surprised to find, a cobblestone road. Navi stirred on his shoulder, fluttering into the air to peer down the road in each direction.

"Looks like this this will take us where we need to go," he mused aloud. "This must be a bigger town than I thought if it has paved roads, though. I'd have figured a small town would've stuck to dirt rather than put out the effort." He paused as a thought struck him. "Perhaps they'll have a market there- I can pick up something to eat!"

He grinned, his mouth watering at the thought of a table loaded with treats. "Just think Navi, Oocca berry jam and nut buttered scones. Oooohhh, I'd kiss a stalfos for one of those right now. What about you?" He turned, smile faltering slightly as he caught sight of the fairy's forlorn expression. Trailing off, he began to turn back to the road and continue on but was stopped as Navi spoke.

"Why did you come after me?" the diminutive girl asked, arms crossed tightly over her chest, back turned to the Hylian as she hovered in place. "You knew you weren't coming out of there, so why did you go in?"

The elfin lad paused for a moment, taken aback by the fairy's frankness. He started to speak, opening his mouth, before falling silent once more, struggling to find the words to make her understand, to explain why he had taken the plunge into that dark forest knowing he would not return. Finally, he gave up, shrugging as he replied.

"You'd do the same for me," he sighed, "How could I do anything less?

The pixie paused, taken aback by his reply, and glanced behind her with a melancholy smile. "Of course you would," she muttered, "Stubborn, idiotic, loyal fool. I should have known better than to think you'd give up on me."

"But Navi, why did you leave in the first place? " Link begged, "Did... something go wrong? Did I… Did you… Why, Din take it, why did you leave?" He threw up his arms helplessly, gesturing wildly about as if to convey the gravity of his question, before letting them drop to his sides once more. Slumping against a tree, he slid down to slouch on the damp earth beside the road, his eyes fixed on the floating ball of glowing blue before him.

"It wasn't your fault Link." The fairy's tone was soft and reassuring, her smile bittersweet. "I…" she paused, trying to find the words, before continuing with a solemn expression. "Didn't you ever wonder where the fairies you bottle disappear too, once they've healed you?"

The Hylian blinked, bewilderment clear on his face. "Back to their fountains I figured, where else would they go?"

He'd never thought much about the fairies he encountered, other than to thank the goddesses for their healing power. They had saved his life more than just a time or two, blessing him with healing power just as everything went dark, enough to get him back on his feet and into the fight.

Truth be told, he had simply assumed that things simply worked the way they did, and never questioned how or why. The Great Fairies had created the fountain, the fairies lived there, and if he had an empty bottle, they were willing to ride along inside it until he needed them. There wasn't exactly time to get philosophical when an axe the size of his torso was being swung at his prone form

"No Link," his friend whispered, her gaze dropping, "They don't. They don't go back to their fountains, they don't turn invisible and fly off, they don't do anything. They just… stop."

The swordsman stared blankly at her for a moment. Of all the responses he had expected, this wasn't one of them. "Stop? You- you mean they die? It kills them?"

"No, you idiot," the fairy muttered affectionately. "Something can't die if it wasn't alive in the first place. Red fairies? Aren't."

The pixie paused for a moment, then assumed a cross legged position in mid air, hands on her knees as she affected a knowledgeable air. "The first thing you need to know about fairies, is that we aren't born. We are created by the Great Fairies, the Deku Tree, or whoever else has the will and intention to do so."

"What's more," she lectured with a stern expression, "we are created for a purpose. When a fairies' purpose has been fulfilled, the magic dissipates, and the fairy disappears. Red fairies are created to heal whoever touches them, and are little more than a healing spell with wings. No mind, no life, just magic." Sparing a scornful glance at him, she shook her head,

"The reason you aren't killing red fairies, the reason they let you bottle them at all, is because they aren't really there to begin with," she finished with a satisfied smirk.

Link stared at her blankly, his mouth set in a slight frown. As the fairy slowly began to fidget under his stare, he spoke, slowly and clearly.

"Navi. I understand, and that's very interesting, _but what does that have to do with **anything**?_"

Navi blinked, startled, then looked at him with an uncomfortable sigh. "Link… All fairies are created with a purpose. Even me."

She drifted down, alighting softly on his knee. "My purpose was to help you save Hyrule," she whispered gently, meeting his gaze with a lost expression. "A-And we did. The realm was safe, t-the land was free."

Tears began to flow freely, the words coming at last as the huddled fairy's speech became broken, sobs forcing their way through- try though she might to suppress them. "A-And once we d-did," she gasped out, "I didn't- didn't know wh-at to do, and then I-I s-started to… to fade!"

A keening filled the air as Link, helpless, and bewildered, made an aborted gesture to reach for her, unsure of how to console his oldest friend. She continued, tears rolling down her face as she wailed, "I-I c-couldn't tell you! I c-couldn't b-bring myself t-to say g-goodbye, and s-so I r-ran!"

The Hylian finally gave in and swept the young pixe into his arms, holding her against his chest as she sobbed into his tunic. "Y-you could h-have died!" she sobbed, "Y-you wouldn't g-give up! N-no! Y-you had to-to go into that d-damned f-forest and t-try to d- d-die because I couldn't s-say goodbye!"

Her sobbing echoed through the trees as Link sat in shock, trying to come to terms with the revelation. The idea of this world without his fairy was incomprehensible. He simply couldn't picture it. Even as he headed into the Lost Woods, some part of him deep down had expected to find her, nose held high and back to him, sulking over his latest prank or tendency to charge head first into something stupid.

And yet… it made a sort of horrific sense, the rational part of him noted clinically, as Navi's sobs sounded through the chilly evergreen boughs. Much as he wanted to reject the idea wholesale, he couldn't find that hidden flaw that would wash away her words, the wicked smile that came with one of her taunts or jokes. As much as he desperately tried to deny it, she was telling the truth.

It was a long time before either of them were ready to speak again.

* * *

><p>It was early afternoon, and even the birdsong had fallen silent. Link hated silence. It always put him on edge, waiting for the inevitable piece of bad luck that was headed his way.<p>

He was trudging along the cobblestone path they had found, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. Every time things went quiet, it seemed, it was only to ensure he heard his doom approaching. Whether the click of the trap he had set off, the ominous rumbling of an advancing army, or the earth shaking boom of the footstep of yet another ridiculously, obnoxiously, massively huge monster.

Really he should be used to it by now, considering how often moments like that happened. Still, good as it may have been to break the tension between them, the quiet gloom was not much of an improvement. For Din's sake, even the sky was overcast again!

He sighed as he thought back to the… discussion they had had. There hadn't been much he could say to improve her mood, even after he found his voice, and she had told him in no uncertain terms she'd rather just drop it and move on. Not very healthy, but he supposed that it was the best he could get.

The faint breeze, rustling the pines about him, stopped.

Link froze, hand going to his sword, as he cast a nervous gaze about the silent pines, taking in the muted shadows and barren shrubs.

"What?" Navi called in a low voice as she leapt from his shoulder, taking to the air for a better view. "What do you see? Is something out there?"

Link held the pose for a long moment, eyes darting rapidly from shadow to shadow, every limb locked in readiness, before finally relaxing.

"False alarm," he muttered, throwing a last glare skyward. "I thought… nevermind." He sighed and took his hand from the hilt of his trusted weapon, rubbing his temples to try and shoo away the last bits of adrenaline. The day was barely half over and he was already on edge, he thought. There was no Ganondorf, no skittering oversized arachnids, hell, the worst he'd seen were a couple of wolfos things. There was no danger.

That, of course was when the air echoed with a distant screeching roar.

Silence returned. He and Navi exchanged another glance. A single bird let out a tentative peep. The quiet held.

Then another roar blasted through the air, and the sky rained fire.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

This one took longer than I expected! Not as long of a chapter, but the next one is going to be funtimes galore so I decided to break it off here. Between school and a new job, things have been hectic, but I haven't given up yet. Writing this is a good workout for the creative side of my brain, so I think I'll keep going. Anyways, On to the plot!

So, Anyone spoil this for themselves following the premise links? Anyone have an inkling what was coming even without them? And did I make the characters even slightly realistic? Diving headfirst into what was supposed to be a dramatic and moving scene in the third chapter of my first writing experiment since third grade was not my best choice. Still, I always was one for a challenge.  
>Until next time!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: From the Ashes

**Chapter 4: From the Ashes**

The pounding of his feet against the cobblestones and the sound of his labored breathing would have been loud in his ears, had it not been drowned out by the cacophony of burning stone blowing six foot craters in the frozen soil. Link sprinted desperately down the broken path in the vague direction of the village he had seen, praying for some form of cover from the storm of fire that was turning the forest to ash around him.

"Not good, not good, not good!" chanted Link, repeating the mantra under his breath as he flinched away from a spray of burning splinters, all that was left of one of the great pines that bordered the path. Hellfire and destruction was no stranger to Link. He'd fought far too many enemies that liberally drenched the area in flames, but the raw power behind these blasts would throw him to the ground and obliterate his shield if he tried to block. The mirror shield could reflect spells and beams of energy, but if these trees were anything to go on, the sheer physical force behind these would reduce it to a twisted lump of metal.

"Link- Dodge left NOW!" Called a voice from above, and the Hylian took the advice, launching himself clear as a lance of golden flame slammed into the earth beside him, showering him with ash and dirt. He scrambled to his feet, wiping his eyes clear with a scratched and bloodied arm, small cuts still oozing from several near misses. Once more he bolted for civilization, sending a thankful gaze towards his fairy, incredibly glad that she had been around to keep those near misses from being direct hits.

"Navi!" He shouted, "Fly above the tree line! See if you can tell how far we are- and what in Faeroe's name is going on!" The fairy nodded decisively and zipped upwards; keeping a wary eye out for any other close calls headed his way.

"Goddesses, Great Ones, and Sheikah!" He swore quietly to himself as he ran, "I haven't seen something like this since-"

The green garbed Hylian gulped suddenly, his face going a shade pale under the ashes and mud. The last time he'd seen the like was in the depths of Death Mountain, with the howling beast Volvagia trying to set the volcano off with him in it.

He had spent three hours in that oppressive heat, sprinting across the magma's crust as it boiled beneath him, the accursed wyrm bursting through the surface at his feet. Still dripping with molten stone, the dragon's jaw had slammed shut inches from his face, splattering him with agonizing droplets. Even the Goron tunic couldn't protect him from the dragon's fire, and even the fairy's blessing couldn't erase those scars.

The sky had rained burning stone as the monster clawed at the roof, the mountain crumbling beneath the onslaught of a dragon's wrath, the scent of Sulphur and rage upon the air, the sheer weight of the gaze of a beast that had hungered for a thousand years starving for the flesh of the kind that had slain it once before the blood of Darunia still dripping from its mouth as it circled ever closer and closer and-

'-No!' he yanked his mind away from the battle. He had killed Volvagia that day, with bow and hammer and blade, watched the dragon burn from within and it's skeleton crumble to ash as the goddesses forcibly _claimed_ its soul. He had spoken with Darunia; found that the man had been elevated to sage in the heat of battle, saving him from his fate. There was no blood, there was no dead, and the dragon would _not _escape the lands of the departed a second time.

'Still,' he pleaded, twisting out of the path of another ball of hellfire at Navi's cry. 'I would really rather not face another dragon. One dragon was enough. Please don't be a dragon. Please don't be a dragon. _Please _don't be a-'

"Link!" Called the pixie as she raced towards him. "DRAGON!"

"Hhhoooof- coourse- it- is," the Hylian panted. He spared a glance at the flickering blue light following behind him, then turned his attention back to the road just in time to avoid tripping over a nasty looking thorn bush that had forced its way through the cobbles. And it was on fire, because at this point, what wasn't?

"There's an overhang up ahead! We can wait out the storm underneath it," Navi yelled, zipping forward to lead the way.

Link put on a burst of speed as he bolted after her, desperate to have some form of shelter, however meager it might be. He could make out the outcropping of battered stone ahead, jutting out from the soil like a cresting wave. It was thick, sturdy, and just large enough that he could crawl up underneath. It was _perfect._

"Link!" came the cry, as he closed in on the promised sanctuary, "Look out!"

Acting on instinct, the green clad hero threw himself into a well-practiced roll, skidding to a halt beneath the monolith as a final chunk of stone carved through the air where he had been just moments before. Gulping deep lungfuls of air, the Hylian knelt upon the cool earth as he listened to the firestorm decimating the forest around him. Groaning, he collapsed into a sitting position as his fairy friend flitted around him, reassuring herself that they had both survived relatively intact.

"Navi?" he groaned between gasps, slumping back against the rock. "I. Really. Hate. Dragons."

It wasn't much longer before the storm- or spell, or _whatever_ had caused the sky to up and try to murder them- had trailed off, the fireballs becoming more and more infrequent before giving up altogether. The pair had peaked out from under their scorched and shattered bastion, nervous expressions on each face as they searched the sky for signs of impending doom. Aside from the faint cry of the dragon fading away into the distance, nothing particularly malevolent made itself known, and they hesitantly made their way into the pockmarked clearing, embers still smoldering quietly on the half melted permafrost. Nasty as the weather might have been, it had probably saved them from roasting in a forest fire. All in all, the Hylian considered grimly, they had been lucky.

"What did you see?" the grimacing hero asked, now that he could be heard over the sounds of destruction. "You said there was a dragon- was it attacking us from a distance? Did it have some sort of long ranged spell? And for that matter, why did it stop?"

The pixie winced at each question, wishing she had better news to give him. "It- wasn't exactly attacking us from a distance. I… don't think it was attacking us at all, honestly."

"Say _what?_" the Hylian yelped. "You can't be serious! What was it doing then? Holding a picnic?"

The fairy bit her lip hesitantly, still struggling to explain what she had seen. "Attacking the village," she finally replied, an uncomfortable expression crossing her features.

"Attacking the village?" Link cried, throwing his arms in the air as he started to pace in frustration. "You've got to be kidding me! We're nowhere near the..." The battered figure froze as the implications struck him, slowly turning to face the nervously fidgeting pixie. "Navi… This village you're talking about..." he asked slowly, his tanned face taking on a somewhat greenish tinge that went quite nicely with his outfit. "About how far away was it when we first got hit?"

"Aaabout a mile or two away?" squeaked Navi, shrinking under his queasy expression.

"And this spell that he cast, was it just very badly aimed? Or did he hit his target?" the Hylian queried, with what he thought was a surprisingly calm expression, considering the place this conversation was headed.

"He… seemed to have... hit the village with it," she forced out, strongly wishing she was anywhere but there. She'd seen stalfos with more emotion than the look on his face.

"Ah. I see," the swordsman calmly noted, a sort of disconnected air settling over him as he mulled over the information. "So in fact, what the dragon did was not to simply cast one of the most destructively devastating spells I have ever seen at us, nor even to fire and miss his target with it, catching us in the blast, but instead," he paused, taking a breath and releasing it a few times in an attempt to make the vein that was throbbing at his temple calm down. "Instead, what happened was that he cast that same spell with so much force that _it covered an area two miles wide._"

At this point, some part of him noted that he had ended up shouting somewhere along the way, and he wasn't sure when. He probably ought to stop that he figured. Maybe he ought to play some music? That always cheered him up.

"Erm. It… kinda sorta looked like two miles in every direction?"

"Right. Okay," the Hylian blankly declared. "Okay, that's just… wonderful." Ignoring the fuzziness at the edge of his vision, Link gazed off into the middle distance for a moment, before letting out a sigh and turning back to the road. "Navi?" he inquired with a vague air.

"Yes Link?"

"I _really _hate dragons," he pronounced with conviction, then started off down the road towards whatever was left of their destination.

The smelled the town before they saw it. They'd been moving at a brisk but steady pace, lost in thought as they grew steadily nearer. The air had been filled with the scent of wood smoke and sulfur, but as they approached the town another odd scent was swept in on the breeze. It wasn't an unpleasant smell at first- not until they recognized it, at least.

Cooked Meat.

Trading a horrified look with Navi, Link picked up the pace, jogging, then sprinting around the bend in the road as the town came into view. Taking the last few meters at a dead run, he ducked his head and slammed into the massive wooden gates that barred his path, forcing them apart with the sound of crumbling charcoal and splintering wood. He stumbled to a halt amidst a scene from a nightmare.

The town was in ruins. Massive heaps of stone and timbers were scattered through the streets, all that was left of buildings that had taken one too many hits, either from the dragon's blows or the firestorm's hail. Bodies lay everywhere, barely recognizable as such in some cases, and in others little more than ash and liquefied metal. Most wore armor of one kind or another, cracked and blackened or warped by heat. Soldiers of some kind, he guessed. They at least had gone down fighting. A few however, wore little more than scraps, what was once linen tunics burned beyond salvaging. The civilians… they had never stood a chance.

Link swore on the spot that the dragon would die for this. He didn't care how big or how tough it was. He didn't care if it was a mindless beast, driven mad by hunger. He didn't care if it was a thinking being, believing itself to be just and righteous. Hell, at this point he didn't care if it had a reason for it. This… this was monstrous

"Navi," he ordered quietly, "See if you can find any sign of survivors- maybe one of these buildings kept them alive long enough for the dragon to leave. She nodded, taking to the air and heading towards the nearest of the buildings, while Link began to pick a path through the rubble, kneeling occasionally to check a pulse on some of the more peaceful looking figures.

The ash filled sky and smoldering ruins cast a grey pallor over the swordsman as he worked his way through the ruins, pausing every once in a while to call out for survivors but hearing no response. Every second he spent in the shadow of the town carved deeper furrows in his brow, and he grew more and more uncertain that he'd find anyone alive with every prone figure he passed.

He was walking towards the remains of what looked to be a military stronghold, all great stone towers and chiseled grey walls, when Navi's voice sounded out, not quite intelligible over the crackling of burning timber. The Hylian turned, eyes roving across the hellscape, only to blink in surprise as he saw the pixie hurtling towards him, zigzagging around the remains of the taller buildings.

"There are people over here!" called the diminutive girl, drawing up just short of him to hover in the air for a moment. "Come on! Come on!" she cried, already headed back the way they came. "They have injured, and they're trapped beneath some rubble!"

Link found himself sprinting through an apocalyptic tableau for the second time that day. This time, however, he wore a small smile on his face. The idea of being able to rescue someone, _anyone_ from this mess was a blessing- he needed at least one piece of good news after everything that had happened today.

As he drew closer to the remains of a small cobblestone house, mostly intact except for the collapsed doorframe and the slab of stone and mortar that had staved in the front of the house, he heard faint voices coming from within.

"-but what if it's bandits? Or some of those Stormcloaks, back to take vengeance on the Empire? They could-

"Quiet! Do you hear that? Footsteps. I think they're coming back!"

"Hello in there!" the Hylian called, as he stopped before the charred wooden crossbeams. "I heard you folks needed some help!"

"Oh, thank the eight!" the voice replied. " I thought for sure we were never getting out of here. Marcy's leg got broken when one of those stones hit, and me and Fiske aren't strong enough to clear the doorway… We have money," he added nervously. "If you can get us out of here we'll pay you. It's just, we have children in here…"

"Don't worry about it," said Link, sizing up the chunk of stone. "I'm happy to help." For most, moving a stone like this would be near impossible without a horse and about thirty feet of rope. For him, it would be thirty seconds and a bit of sweat- magical items were an extraordinarily useful thing.

"Oh, divines bless you sir. It's rare to find someone willing to extend a helping hand without a dagger at their throat in times like this. Here- do you need some help shifting i- Woah!"

The man let out a yelp, and the Hylian could hear him stumble backwards beneath the sound of wood splintering and falling away as the enormous piece of debris came up free of the doorway. Teeth gritted and muscles straining, he lifted, the magical lightening effect of his gauntlets making the fallen slab of wall just light enough to get off the ground- without actually making it _light._

He turned in place, boots sinking another inch into the soil as he took a few staggering steps back, away from the now open doorway and the faces peering awestruck through it. With a mighty heave, he hurled the stone backwards to shatter in the street before collapsing to one knee, sucking in deep lungfuls of air and waiting for his vision to clear. 'That,' he decided, 'was _way _heavier than it needed to be.'

"That was amazing! How did you do that?"

Blinking as they emerged into the sunlight, two men, a woman, and a few traumatized children ducked through the broken door frame.

"Magic gauntlets," said the Hylian, hauling himself back to his feet. "I'm Link, by the way. Are you alright?"

"Calder," replied the man, blinking thoughtfully as he did so. "That's my brother Fiske and his wife-"

"Marcy," the woman interrupted, still clinging to the wall. "And no, my damned leg's broken, if you haven't noticed!" Glaring at the two men for a moment, she turned to Link and looked him up and down. "You're a warrior, aren't you?"

Surprised, the swordsman paused, taken aback by her gruff attitude. "Ah- yeah, I suppose so..."

"Good. We need to get to Riverwood, and these two louts aren't going to be much help if something decides we'd make a good meal on the way." She sniffed derisively, before turning to the boy and girl huddled behind her legs, peeking worriedly out at the devastation around them. "Come along littlekin. You are safe and the danger is passed. Come with mama."

Glancing bemusedly at Link, the two men went to her side, taking her weight so that she could move freely. The children, fear set aside for a moment, made their way out from their safe haven, gazing up at their green clad rescuer with watery blue eyes.

Slightly off put, the Hylian stuttered for a moment. "I- erm. Uh, hi there?" Trailing off he tore his eyes away from the pair to throw a helpless expression over his shoulder. "Navi!" he hissed, "What do I do? They're staring!"

"Honestly, Link. You're useless with children," the pixie said, drifting forward gently. "Hi there little ones, what are your names? I'm Navi!" Smiling brightly, she waved at the two dumbstruck younglings, only to recoil with a start as the pair raced back to their mother.

"Oh, who's useless with kids?" the Hylian said with a laugh, "I think-"

"LOOK OUT! WISP!"

"Hey!" He shouted, leaping back as a stone flew past him. "What do you think you're doing?" Turning, he saw Fiske grasping about for more ammunition while Calder clutched a length of splintered wood like a club.

"Wisp! To your left- get away from it!" the man yelled, eyes fixed on the glowing point of light over Link's shoulder. The swordsman traded a bewildered expression with his longtime companion, who shrugged before turning back to the fearful townsfolk before them.

"Are you talking about me?" The fairy asked a puzzled frown on her brow.

"W-what?" Fiske stammered.

"Haven't any of you seen a fairy before? I knew we weren't in Hyrule anymore, but I didn't think we went _that _far."

"W-what?" repeated Fiske. The others were more or less frozen in various defensive positions, whether hiding behind their parents, holding weapons, or in the case of Marcy, trying not to fall over.

"Uh… Fairies? We glow and fly and live on magic? Lifelong companions?" The pixie narrowed her eyes in exasperation, huffing out an exasperated sigh. "Oh come on, surely you've heard something."

Calder lowered his makeshift club a few degrees, frowning slightly as he thought back. "Fairies? You mean- like the old folk tales my grandmother used to tell me. But I thought those were just stories! You're real?"

He slowly set down the stick, and the rest of the group relaxed slightly.

Fiske, rising out of his crouch, considered the floating ball of light. He was just able to make out the shape of what seemed to be a young girl with wings like a dragonfly, now that he took a closer look at it... "I never heard tales of no fairies. Not from my mother, not from hers. But you ain't no wisp, and if I reckon right, you're the one who got us help. Tales or no tales, I'm willing to trust you on that."

Sighing, Link shook his head. "Now that you're done trying to kill your rescuers, you said something about a place called Riverwood?"

After another circuit of the town (Helgen, he had learned) to ensure that there were no more trapped survivors, Link and company headed out through the Riverwood gate. Shifting his pack slightly, the Hylian cast a last glance over his shoulder at the town as it vanished behind the trees. He had made the dead a promise, and he meant to keep it- but he had no illusions it was going to be easy.

'I'll have to do some research,' he thought, 'Find out if there's a legendary weapon or a prophecy or some other nonsense that'll let me cheese that bastard to death.'

The swordsman smiled grimly, remembering a certain dark reflection of himself and the the desperate battle he had fought against a foe that was every bit as skilled as he was- and just a little bit stronger. It really was a shame, he mused, that whoever had created such a powerful foe had forgotten about the Megaton Hammer. Fancy sword work and nimble blades only did so much when a chunk of steel the size of your head staved in your ribcage.

As they made their way slowly down the path, Link turned to Marcy, who was slowly hobbling along with the help of her two companions. "So," he began, "...Dragons."

"Hah. No joke, eh?" the woman spat. Running a hand through her matted dark brown hair, she stared dourly at the packed earth beneath her feet. "Never thought I'd see the day that _dragons_ of all things came back to Skyrim."

"Skyrim?" said Link, grasping on the foreign word. "Is that where we are?" Dragon or no dragon, he had left friends behind in Hyrule and he was still looking for a hint of where his homeland was.

"That's right- you said you weren't from around here," rumbled Fiske. "Well," he said with a chuckle, "Let me be the first to welcome you to Skyrim, Home of the Nords! Birthplace of Talos! Producer of the great Nord Mead!"

"Oh shut up," Marcy said with a smile. "He'll go on for ages like this if you let him, the great dolt." She elbowed him in the side, causing him to gasp out an over exaggerated 'Oof!' before continuing. "I can't say I've heard of this place you're from though. Where in the world is Hyrule?"

"That makes us even," the swordsman said. "I've never heard of Skyrim either. And as for where Hyrule might be… well, I was hoping you might be able to help me out with that actually."

As they walked through the groves of ancient pines- still scarred from the blasts of hellfire- he gave them a quick rundown of the incident that brought him to this new land, detailing his journey into a cursed forest to find his missing friend and the strange voice that interrupted his collapse. Even avoiding some of the more… interesting details, such as his sudden return to adulthood or Navi's return from the dead, or the fact that time travel was an everyday fact of life for him… well, there was still plenty of story to go around.

"Sheogorath!" shouted Calder, recoiling slightly with an ashen expression. "The Daedric Prince? By the eight, you're _doomed_."

Link blinked at him bemusedly. "I take it you've heard of him then?"

"Hah! Heard of him? He's a Daedric prince! A dark god! A primal force of madness and despair!" Calder wailed, gesticulating wildly with the arm not supporting Marcy's hobbling gait.

Fiske sighed, let go of his wife for a moment, and reached over to deliver a slap to the back of Calder's head. "He gets like this sometimes," he rumbled. "Best thing to do is smack him till he calms down."

Huffing loudly, Calder glared at him, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his skull. With a sniff, he stuck his nose in the air and turned his head away from Fiske, ignoring him as best he could. "You'd do the same if you knew more than just how to hit things until they stopped moving," he muttered.

Marcy shook her head in good natured resignation. "What Calder here is trying to say is that Sheogorath is bad news. Most of the Princes are pretty straight forward, if rather… well," She glanced back at the children, still trundling quietly along behind the group, a touch of hesitation in her eyes. "unpleasant to say the least. The Prince of Madness, however, is unpredictable. He does what he wants, when he wants, with whatever strange logic he follows, and it's rarely pleasant for those involved."

She looked at Link with a hint of a frown, casting a glance at the foreigner's brightly colored garb and his odd looking conical cap. "If he's involved, I wouldn't get your hopes up. Your homeland is probably a long way away, and the Madgod doesn't play fair. Still," she quirked an eyebrow at him. "You could have been dropped in far worse of a place than Skyrim. Think of all the things you'd miss out on killing if they dropped you in Cyrodil!"

"...Come again?" questioned Navi from her perch atop Link's shoulder. She cast a slightly wary eye at the bloodthirsty smile the well-muscled woman was wearing, privately grateful that she'd be unable to chase them if they had to take off at a dead run.

"What? Not fond of the fighting? But there are so many murderous creatures to kill!" An evil grin stretched across Marcy's face as she started listing off names "Atronach, Charus, Dragur, Falmer, Frostbite Spiders, Ghosts, Giants…"

The pair stared at her, Navi with a sort of horrified fascination, Link with a hint of laughter in his eyes.

"...Ice wraiths, Mudcrabs, Pit wolves,-"

Noticing that her audience was less than enthusiastic about her argument, she broke off, chuckling. "Nah, but most of those you should never see. Many of them live in the darkest holes they can find, and unless you spend a lot of time scoping out ancient ruins, you should be just fine.

Link winced. "Yeah, no chance of that," he grumbled quietly. "I'll have fought my way through half of those by this time next month, and that's if-"

"Anyways!" Navi cut him off brightly, "So how much further is Riverwood?"

"We should reach it right around sunset if we keep up the pace," replied Calder. "We get- _used_ to get deliveries of fish from there at the store where I work. Ariana would always drop by for a few every weekend."

"What are you going to do when you get there?" asked Link, his mind on the smoking ruins of everything the trio had once owned. "Will you be able to find a place to stay for a while?"

"Yes, I think we should be alright," said Calder, heaving a sigh at the thought of the future. "Our mother and father live there. They're getting on in years, but father's still spry enough to provide for both of them by hunting. They'll let us stay until we can get a new place, and we can work at the mill chopping wood to earn a few septims."

He glanced at the pair with a curious eye. "What about you two? I can't imagine you've got any work lined up at the moment. Got enough gold to pay your way until then?"

Marcy looked at Link, throwing a glance up and down his armored form. "If it's work you're looking for, try the Companion's Guild. I can't imagine they'd turn you down- you certainly look the part. And hey, if the whole Mighty Warrior look doesn't get you in, tell them Marcy sent you." She winked at him, nodding to her husband beside her. "Fiske and I met there, way back in the day, and we'll still pick up a few odd jobs now and again."

"The Companion's Guild?" Navi frowned at the title. "What in hy- what in the world are they?"

Marcy blinked at them, momentarily taken aback, before chuckling quietly at herself. "Right, far away land. I'd forgotten. Well, the Companions are a warrior's guild. A band of blood brothers brought together by the search for the glory and honor that can only be found in battle. They can trace their history all the way back to Ysgramor's Five Hundred Companions, some of the most famous Nords in history. But anyways," she continued, "unless you've got gold to spare, they'll be your best option."

"Gold, huh? Is that what you use for currency here?" he said with a frown. Hyrule used gold mostly for decoration. Rupees, plucked from the earth and hidden in the grass by the mythical Minish tribe, were far and wide a more popular currency. Gorons appreciated the barter system over money, which worked out well for the Geovores, as the hexagonal crystals were a delicious treat and well worth the iron they mined. Zora preferred them as decorations- most gemstones lost their luster deep underwater, but rupees shined with their own inner light. The Hylians, on the other hand, valued them for their magical capacity, using them as energy storage, and anchors for spell matrixes. All in all, even as common as rupees were, the constant need for them ensured they remained valuable.

"Wait-" Fiske interrupted with a look of dismay "You don't use gold? Everyone uses gold!"

Calder shared his surprise. "I've been a merchant for seventeen years, and I've never once heard of a land without gold as the standard. Even the Aldmeri Dominion uses it! What do you use instead?"

"Rupees," Link replied with a shrug. Slipping a hand into the money pouch at his waist, he tossed the man one of the thumb sized crystals- a green, he noted as it glinted in the wan morning sun.

Calder caught the rupee, nearly fumbling it for a moment before he snatched it out of the air one handed. Opening his hand, his jaw dropped as he took in the flawless gem, turning it over and over as he mumbled quietly to himself. "Is- what- this can't… No? But… It's- It's perfect! And yet…" His brow furrowed in confusion, and he came to a complete stop, prompting a yelp from Marcy as she tried not to fall from the sudden jolt.

Fiske turned to Calder, about to lay into the man for his foolishness but paused as he saw his brother's expression. Calder lifted the gemstone to eye level, his hands taking on an ethereal glow as he focused a touch of Magicka into the rupee in his fingers, only to drop it in shock as it began to glow.

"That's a soul gem! But- it doesn't need a soul energy, just Magicka! How- what- how!" He spun to the Hylian warrior, eyes wide in shock. "Any mage would pay a hundreds of Septims for that! More!"

Link shrugged, unable to follow the man's rant. "If it's worth that much, keep it. I've got more," he said, giving him a small smile.

"Whu- really?" exclaimed Calder. "I can't just take it! You've already saved my life! I can't just take your money!" Despite his words, Calder clutched the rupee to his chest, unwilling to let go.

The swordsman scratched his head, thinking. "Tell you what," he said, reaching back into his wallet and retrieving a fist full of rupees, "You keep that. Consider it payment for helping me turn _these_-" the shards of color sparkled far brighter than the overcast sky could account for "- into gold. I can't do much with them, so consider this an offer of employment. If I want to ever make it back home again, I'm going to need the help."

Calder's sputtering rapidly was replaced with whimpers as Marcy gripped his ear and _twisted_. "Take. The. Job." She stated firmly, her expression brooking no argument.

Calder took a deep breath, straightened himself, and nodded. "Right," he said, his thoughts in order. "If we're going to do this, I'll need to get in contact with some people. We should stay in Riverwood for at least a week or so for them to get back to me, but after that?"

"We're going to Whiterun."


	5. Chapter 5: A Quest for Gold

**Chapter 5: A Quest for Gold**

The rest of the journey had been uneventful, the weather warming as they moved away from the mountains. Still cold, but at least sleep had come easier when the ground was not covered in snow. By the third day, the clouds had parted to reveal a brilliantly blue sky, the sun shining down and teasing all manner of wildlife out of their homes. Foxes chased rabbits through the brush, while birds twittered in the trees as they approached Riverwood proper, the eponymous river burbling down the hill side, over rapids and falls back towards the lake they'd spotted the day before.

As they drew nearer, Navi fluttered out of Link's hat, taking to the air to see what was ahead. "Looks like we're almost there," she called down. "I can see the gate ahead of us, and it looks like it's open."

As she circled back down towards them, Link shaded his eyes, trying to make it out through the light of the mid-morning sun. The walls were more of the roughhewn stone this kingdom seemed so fond of, with a wooden structure supporting them and providing cover for the guardsmen that watched their approach. Drawing closer, he noticed that the guards were remarkably unsurprised at the state of their party, given the unhealed wounds and broken bones they still bore.

"Ho there!" called one of the helmed figures, his yellow sash and scalemail armor catching the eye of the green clad warrior. "Refugees from Helgen?"

The Hylian took in the guardsman, his eye alighting on the hefty wooden shield and steel axe before responding. "Yeah, I take it we're not the first?"

"You'd be right at that," the guardsman said grimly, "The Jarl sent us to guard Riverwood on the word of one of the first to make it back, but there's been a steady stream ever since then. We've got a few crates of fresh fruit and bread for those who didn't have food for the journey, and our mage can tend to your wounds."

"I think we're good on the food," Link replied. "Fiske was a skilled enough hunter to take care of that. Healing would be wonderful though." They had been able to at least clean and bandage the wounds, boiling some water and rinsing away the worst of the ash and muck, but it was no substitute for the efforts of a trained healer.

The guard waved them inside and as they passed through the archway the sounds of the village washed over them. Chickens clucked and pecked at the earth, scrounging about for bugs or crumbs, while a dog barked a cheerful greeting at the new arrivals. A blacksmith worked the forge, the ringing of hammer on steel sounding over the din of a nearby sawmill as worked its way through another felled tree, splitting it with a massive crack and sending it tumbling to join its fellows. The talk and chatter of the townsfolk joined the babbling of the stream as the villagers made their way through the streets, laughter and cheer rather prevalent, given the shock and horror still fresh in the minds of the refugees.

Link frowned, noting several of the villagers with freshly healed burn scars and ragged clothing streaked with ash, bearing upbeat expressions despite their trials. "Why is everyone so cheerful?" he asked quietly, turning to Fiske for an answer. "I expected more... pain and fear."

"Hah," grunted Fiske, chest thumping bravado spilling from his every word. "You'll not see that amongst the true sons of Skyrim! If we made like the milk drinking Imperials and cried ourselves to sleep after every battle, we'd never get anything done. That was a bad one," he admitted, "but those who fell died like true warriors, every one, and their souls will be called to Sovngarde- the afterlife for the most valiant of warriors. A true Nord's dream."

"We celebrate their deeds," he said with a shrug, "drink to the departed, then get back to work. Spend too long in mourning and bandits kill you while you weep."

"...Huh," said the Hylian after a moment's contemplation. He might not be one of their faith, but he was hardly the type to insult another's beliefs, especially at a time like this. And honestly, he could respect that attitude. It took courage to look past your own loss and remember the good, and more to face the world with a smile. And if there was one thing that he appreciated, it was courage.

They made their way towards the tent that had been set up next to the tavern, the dragon emblazoned banner flapping in the light breeze as a pair of soldiers in leather armor chatted out front. Helms sat next to them on the ground as they rested on a pair of crates and munched on apples from a nearby box.

Spotting the road weary refugees, one of the pair pointed them towards the tent with a friendly nod. "Healer's just inside. If he's with a patient, just wait for him to finish and he'll heal you right up."

Fiske nodded back, and the four headed inside, the children trundling after.

* * *

><p>A few hours later found Link fishing in the gently rushing waters, his boots lying on the bank beside him as he let the current wash over his toes. Dartwings buzzed back and forth, skimming low over the stream as salmon leapt and dove, trying to catch a meal. The shadow of a hawk circled slowly overhead, intending to find a morsel of it's own. The sunlight flickered and danced in the splashing waters, a scene to be admired. The Hylian paid this no mind, however, only half paying attention even to the gentle bobbing of his lure.<p>

For the last couple of days he had been wound tight, always on the lookout for the next threat, be it bandits, dragons, or wolves, and he had little time to stop and think. Now, however, he was safe for the moment. His companions were off taking care of business- Calder hunting down a message runner while Fiske helped his wife settle in at the farm- and he was surrounded by walls and guards with nothing to do but think.

The swordsman grimaced. He'd been putting off thinking about what the events of the past few days meant for quite a while, but now he was out of excuses. Little as he wanted to admit it, he was lost. Extraordinarily lost. In fact, based on his glimpse of the twin moons and alien sky when the clouds parted for a few hours last night, he would need a score of mages and four years of schooling just to understand exactly how lost he was. At the moment he had no way home, and only the slimmest chance of finding one before he grew old and passed away. If he couldn't… he would never see his friends again.

The Hylian sat back, resting his head against the cool stone behind him. Shading his eyes for a moment, he peered up at the sun to check the time before sighing and reeling in his line for another cast. As he it drew back and sent the lure whipping out into the stream once more, he gave a soft sigh. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle this. Zelda, Saria, Malon, Epona… They'd wonder where he went, but they'd have no way of locating him either… Unless!

Link sat bolt upright, his gaze dropping to the back of his hand, coming to rest on the three golden triangles that glimmered faintly upon his skin. The Triforce. It was one of the basic tenets of magic- so much so that even he, with few spells but the goddesses gifts, could remember it- what once was one, _will always be_. Even things as little as a cutting of hair from someone's head could be used to tie a spell to them. One third of a divine relic? The last gift to the world from the goddesses' departure? He grinned, a sudden lightness in his chest where the weight of depression had fallen away. That, if anything, would be strong enough to reach across worlds and let him find them or them find him.

Cheered immensely from his former gloom, the Hylian watched the red and white bobber bounce up and down in the current. He might not have a plan- or really any idea how to go about getting home, but he knew it wasn't impossible, and that was quite a bit more than he could say yesterday. Ideas began to spin through his mind, thoughts on what to try and where to go. He could take a look at this Mage's College Calder had mentioned, he could do some research of his own, he could-

A sharp tug and a slap to the face from the quickly forgotten rod startled him from his daydreaming just in time to watch the tail end of his favorite fishing pole vanish upstream.

He gaped, momentarily stunned, before muttering a curse under his breath, and dove headfirst into the water after it.

"You're kidding!" interrupted Calder, a baffled expression on his face. "There's no possible way you got her to stay there!"

"Oh, aye, she's probably out like a light," rumbled Fiske, wiping the mead froth from his coarse brown beard. "After all, I told her to stay put till she fell asleep, and she always listens to me." The heavily built man had been relaxing in the Sleeping Giant Inn after getting his family settled at the farm, enjoying a tankard and basking in the warmth from the fire pit while he waited for the others to return.

"No. I refuse to believe that Harri- ahem, 'strong willed' wife of yours settled down and just went to bed when you asked," Calder said, stumbling to correct himself at a glare from Fiske. He took a gulp from his own mug, casting a bemused glance at his brother's discomfiture. Straightening the collar of his crimson merchant's tunic, still dusty from their days of travel, he continued. "Either you doused her with a sleeping potion, or she's up and trying to chop wood with one leg!"

While the healers had cleared up most of their minor injuries, the broken leg would still be fragile for a few days and had been splinted into place by the healer who had treated their wounds. With firm orders that she was not to leave her bed save to use the privy on pain of potions made from mammoth dung, the healer had sent them on their way, but if Calder knew Marcy, that wouldn't have slowed her in the slightest.

Calder grinned slyly, giving his brother a look that promised torment for days on end. "Either you tell me what you did to get her to sleep or I'll tell her that you tried to claim she's a dutiful mousy housewife who does whatever you say."

Fiske sputtered, choking on his drink and gasping for air. "You wouldn't!" the warrior accused, only to be met by his brother's sweetest smile.

"Try me."

The man's already pale skin went white at the thought of what his wife would do to him and he muttered dire threats against his brother's devious, conniving mind. Slapping a armored hand over his eyes, he groaned. "Alright! I set her on the bed and told the children she promised them a story and would let them sleep with her, then took off before she could murder me. You know she can't resist Molly and Dane. No way she'll abandon them."

Calder broke out in laughter, tears streaming from his eyes as Fiske crossed his arms and pointedly looked the other direction. "Me? Conniving? You've got a hell of a wicked side yourself, numbskull!"

Wiping his eyes, he was about to continue mocking his brother when the door to the inn swung open, and a raised voice spilled into the hall. Squinting, the pair could just make out Link's iconic conical hat and his slumped posture- the relative dimness of the inn working against them- and the glowing form of Navi bobbing above his shoulder. As their traveling companion stepped in and shut the door behind him, they blinked, exchanged glances, and made no attempt to hide the smirks spreading across their faces.

With the light level returned to normal, they could now see the details they had missed. The sullen expression on the elfin face, the pissed expression on the pixie, and the fact that they were both _drenched_.

"...And another thing! You don't think that maybe- _just maybe_- it might be polite to wait until I'm not in your hat before diving in the river?" Demanded Link's fairy friend, though there was little evidence of that now. "But no! No, you decide to not even wake me up from my nap before taking a running leap into _snowmelt._ What possessed you to think that was a good idea!"

"Now I'm no fisherman," Fiske rumbled as he eyed the sodden pair, "but I always thought that you were supposed to pull the fish _out _of the water..." He looked the dripping Hylian up and down before continuing. "...Instead, he seems to have pulled you _in_."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," muttered the swordsman, blowing a clinging strand of golden hair from his eyes. "...shove you in a river see how you like it..." Taking a seat, he let his grumbling trail off and looked from one brother to the other with a slightly more serious expression. "So what's the news?"

Calder was instantly all business. "To start off, If the market's anything like what I think it is, you'll probably get around five thousand Septims for that sack of gems," said the merchant with a thoughtful air. "Given a meal costs about fifteen and a well-trained horse and tack runs about six thousand, It's enough to take care of your needs for a good long while- about four months- but if you're looking to do more than just eat it will run out much quicker."

Link nodded, unsurprised by the information. The Rupees hadn't been worth as much as he'd expected from that first green, but Calder had explained that each of them seemed to have equivalent value from a magical perspective, and were likely only assigned their monetary worth based on rarity. That meant that a pouch of two hundred and forty seven Rupees in Hylian terms had become two silvers, two reds, a blue and two greens- seven gemstones in total.

Still, he supposed, that was far more than they were worth over in Hyrule so he wouldn't complain.

"Unfortunately," Calder continued grimly, snapping the Hylian back to reality, "for the next two weeks or so you're going to be flat broke."

At his brother's raised eyebrow, merchant frowned and replied with a glare. "Don't look at me like that! Our biggest chance of getting a good price for these lives up in Winterhold and sells to the mages up there. It will take four days for a fast courier to even get him the message, and nearly twice that for him to get down to Whiterun, even with a good horse!"

Shaking his head, Calder looked to Link and shrugged. "Regardless, until I can sell those off, we're going to need to make do with what we have. I'll probably end up chopping wood for my meals and Fiske will end up hunting like he always does. What do you want to do?"

Link frowned as he mulled over his options. "Well let's see… I'm a deft hand with a blade, an excellent shot with a bow, and fairly athletic… I'm not one for woodcutting, I've had too many friends that were trees for that- but I can fish quite well. Oh, and I'm an excellent monster slayer. Can't forget that." Ignoring the odd looks at his choice in friends, he paused, lost in thought.

"...You could come hunting with me," offered Fiske after a moment. "Divines know there's enough monsters about that I wouldn't mind backup while my wife is healing."

The Hylian nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that would work. Not today, though. I overheard the shopkeep here arguing about a going after a thief, and I'm going to talk to him first."

"If that's settled, I think I've got an appetite for some venison stew. What do you say to some lunch?" asked Calder, flagging down the innkeeper as she walked past with a tray of mead.

"And while we wait," said Fiske with a grin, "How about you tell us some tales of your home land? That's a story worth spinning."

"Me?" asked the swordsman with a befuddled expression. "I- I'm not really sure… I've never been one for stories- well," he corrected himself at Navi's poorly suppressed laughter. "Not for telling them at least."

Smiling briefly, the Hylian withheld a silent chuckle of his own. 'Living them?' he mused 'Now that's an entirely different matter.'

"Why not- ahrm, excuse me" interposed Navi, coughing to clear her throat, "Why not tell them about the Kokiri Forest? Not a story, just what life was like. That's one thing you should have no problem with."

"...Huh." said Link, as his thoughts drifted to the years he had spent amongst the Kokiri and the friends he had made, now so far beyond his reach. "Yeah. I think I could do that."

With a melancholy smile he began, as the others sat forward in their chairs to listen. "Far far away, in the kingdom of Hyrule stands a great and ancient forest…"

* * *

><p>After departing the Sleeping Giant Inn, Link made his way down the dusty street towards the general store. He'd been walking past it earlier that day when raised voices caught his notice. He hadn't heard much- just a comment about a thief and the phrase "Well if nobody else has the stones-" before the door slammed open and he stepped up his pace to avoid being dragged into what was turning into a rather lively shouting match between the shopkeeper and the woman storming away with a murderous expression.<p>

As he hesitantly approached the hanging pair of scales over the entrance, he listened to ensure he wouldn't walk in on another dispute. Hearing no signs of the earlier ruckus he gently pushed the door open, peering about the candlelit interior. Link immediately spotted the black haired, light skinned Breton merchant from earlier polishing the wood of a countertop laden in all manner of books and bottles and knickknacks.

The well-groomed man looked up from his work as the hinges squeaked, donning a practiced expression of cheer and reciting a welcome. "Hello, and welcome to the Riverwood Trader! I'm Lucian Valerius, the owner. Is there anything I can help you with today?"

"Actually, I think I might be able to help you instead," the Hylian replied. "I was walking by, and I couldn't help but overhear that you had something stolen earlier?"

Lucan's eyes lit up in recognition, and with a glance at the blade and shield on Link's back, he replied with a smile. "Ah! A traveling adventurer, are you? Good to see the old ways still hold strong."

While the holds of Skyrim and the cities of Hyrule had guards enough to keep an eye on things, there were still plenty of situations that the average guardsman didn't have the skills, time, or manpower to take care of, and plenty of foolhardy young men and rusted swords eager to take up the slack for whatever loose change could be dug from the cushions. It was hardly the safest of professions, but the bards told enough stories of brave adventurers that it had become a sort of tradition all on it's own.

"Well," chuckled Link, rubbing the back of his hair sheepishly "Something of the sort anyway."

"Right," said the shopkeep, casting his eyes over the books and bottles lining the rough wooden shelves "Truth be told, it's rather silly but there was an heirloom that I used to keep on the counter here- a golden claw found by my grandfather in these very mountains. He said it brought luck, and the shop certainly seemed to do well regardless of the reason why."

Leaning closer to the attentive Link, Lucan lowered his voice to a hushed whisper. "But three days ago, it was stolen! I didn't see who it was, but the smith said he saw someone running up that mountain to the north towards Bleak Falls Barrow, and I'd bet anything it was him!"

Pausing, the shopkeep realized how close he'd gotten to the Hylian and drew back, clearing his throat in embarrassment. "Erm, right. Anyways, if you think you could retrieve that for me, I've got some Septims left over from the last shipment to pay with. I'll make it worth your time!"

The penniless swordsman didn't take long to agree, and after a bit of haggling they settled on a price of 150 gold pieces for the safe return of the golden claw. With a handshake and a smile, the merchant said his goodbyes as Link headed out the door intent on making his way up the mountain to see if he could manage the request before sundown.

As he strode down the dusty street to the gentle creak and hum of the nearby sawmill, he sighed in contentment. Far as he may be from home, the peaceful sound of life and laughter brought to mind Kakariko village and Castle town. If he closed his eyes he could almost pretend he was home.

With a chuckle and a melancholy smile, he shook his head. Home was a long way away, but he'd see it again someday. For now, he'd just have to treasure the little things- whether it was the way the sun and shadows played across the rushing river, or the tingle of a hint of adrenaline working its way into his system at the thought of another dungeon dive.

Making his way across the cobblestone bridge, he was surprised to see another headed towards the winding trail that lead up the mountain. "Hello there!" called the Hylian, a bit of cheer in his voice. "You heading up the peak as well?"

The woman turned, her emerald eyes peering from beneath copper bangs to take in his armored garb and sheathed weapons, only to pause at the sight of his brilliantly green clothing. "Aye," she said, "Headed for Bleak Falls Barrow. You?"

"The same!" he replied, taking a moment to return the favor. The woman across from him was garbed in a sort of molded leather construction, chest piece and bases held together with numerous straps. An appraising glance caught the signs of amateur work- fraying stitches and malformed hide- but it was a solid construction all the same. Bracers and boots completed the ensemble, and a bow was fixed to her back along with a pair of daggers at her waist. Her fiery hair was pulled back in a serviceable braid and war paint spread across her face showed she was ready for trouble.

"Shopkeep called Lucian Valerus lost something to a thief hiding out up there so I'm headed over to get it back," the swordsman said with a shrug. "You up for some company?"

Relaxing a touch, she nodded back. "Sure, I suppose a little company wouldn't be amiss. What's your name, stranger?"

"Link," he replied. "What's yours? And what brings you to a place with such a charming name?"

"Well, you can call me Alana," she said with a laugh. "And I'm here in search of some hunk of rock inside the Barrow itself."

"A rock?" echoed the Hylian.

"Aye, some great ponce of a wizard sent me after it. Said it's called the Dragonstone."

**Author's note: **Whew. Been a while huh? I graduate in December so this hasn't been my priority, but I finally got the chance to sit down and put the finishing touches on it. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!

Anyways, Alana's the Dragonborn. She will be carrying out most of the main plot on her own. Link is not going to come down with a case of follower syndrome (Rehashing the plot but with Added Dialogue!) Most of their encounters will be this sort of thing, where their paths just happen to cross. Link may offer his help for the big stuff, but he just wants to go home for the most part. So, for now he'll just work towards that.

Btw, If anyone is wondering why I'm doing the timing like this, I'm operating on the assumption that Helgen to Riverwood is a day's journey on foot at a steady jog IRL (Dragonborn/Courier/Man on horse speed) or twice that at a sedate pace (An army or a caravan) or three days if you're carrying someone with a broken leg and stopping for rest every few hours. All the other times are based on looking at a map and going "eehhh- that's 3 times that distance."

Also, Did an edit on the first chapter to bring it up to the standard of the rest of the story (I hope.) It was a touch rough so this should be cleaner.


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